Rough Winds Do Shake
by Katanova23
Summary: Lady Demeter arrives at the Jellicle court, betrothed to the crown prince Munkustrap. But King Deuteronomy's bastard son Macavity clearly has other plans, and Queen Auriel is doing everything she can to put a stop to the betrothal. Can Demeter trust anybody in the castle? Can she even survive?
1. Chapter 1

The hopeful light of spring filtered through the curtains of my carriage, and I pulled them aside to check our progress. The landscape was unfamiliar to me, all rolling green hills and scattered boulders. Where were all the wildflowers? The blooming trees with their slender leaves? The trees I could see were bushy, covered in dark green needles. I pushed the curtains closed again and sat back in my seat.

"Good god, are we close yet? My poor legs are aching horribly," Cassandra drawled. Tantomile murmured her agreements, stretching her black and white legs out in front of her.

"I think so," I replied. "I'm... not sure where we are, though."

"We're close," Bombalurina said. Cassandra and Tantomile expressed their relief and closed their eyes. My gaze met Bomba's and she smiled her easy smile. Bomba had been to court many times before. If anybody would know, it'd be her.

My sister. A spinster, if the cats in my father's household were to be believed. She wasn't a spinster, in truth. Not really. She'd told me once that she was just 'too busy' to choose a mate. Busy doing what, I wasn't sure. Once I had asked her, but she'd only winked at me.

"Has he changed much?" I asked her quietly, once the other two had drifted off.

"Unfortunately not. Still as boring as ever." Bomba pulled the curtains back open to gaze out the window. I watched her green eyes drink up the sights. She seemed to become more and more alive the further we traveled from home.

"Why am I marrying him? You're Father's firstborn, shouldn't it be you?"

"I'm afraid I'm ruined, dear Demeter."

My ears reddened and I diverted my gaze. Father had been outraged when word of Bombalurina's trysts reached him, but she'd never seemed to care.

"You shouldn't call him 'boring', you know," I said after a long pause. "He's the crown prince. It's best that he take his duties seriously, isn't it?"

"Hmm," was all Bombalurina said in response, before closing her eyes to doze with the others.

* * *

Our arrival was met with tinkling music and chatter that I could not make out from within the carriage. The four of us composed ourselves as we rolled to a stop. Cassandra fastened shining bracelets around my wrists while Tantomile fastened my delicate diamond collar.

"One final touch," Bombalurina said, positioning my tiara between my ears with ease. "We do have to make sure he knows which of us is his fiancee, hmm?"

"Bombalurina, I'm sure he'll recognize me." Still, I chewed on the inside of my cheek with worry. He hadn't seen me in almost a decade, and I was a dame grown now. Though he couldn't have met many black and gold cats in his time.

My sister was watching me with what must have been pity in her eyes, but before she could speak to comfort me, the driver knocked twice in warning, then opened the carriage door.

"He'd be a fool to forget you," she managed to say as Cassandra and Tantomile stepped out. She followed them gracefully, leaving me alone for only a second in the darkness of the carriage. I took a shaky breath and stepped down onto the cobbled pavement and into the sunlight.

The Jellicle's castle loomed so far above us that, for a moment, I was sure it was some sort of illusion. I could see cats sticking their heads out of the windows to catch a glimpse. Guards lined either side of the walkway to the entrance, swords at their hips and capes fastened to their collars and flowing around their shoulders and down their backs. There were even more cats, nobles, gathered on the lawn to our right. They were staring shamelessly, and I immediately felt like retreating to the safety of the carriage to escape their gaze. My attention was pulled away from them by the sound of a trumpet at the castle entrance, and the massive wooden door was pulled open.

"Is that Old Deuteronomy?" Tantomile murmuered behind me, as a muscular grey and brown tom with thick fur and a golden crown exited.

"I believe he prefers 'King Deuteronomy', Tantomile," came Cassandra's reply. Her usually smooth and controlled tone was laced with excitement. Like me, it was her first time at court.

The king was followed closely by a colorpoint dame wearing a tiara similar to the crown. Even as far away as we were, I could see coldness in her eyes. Instinctively, I straightened my stance. Bombalurina stepped forward to loop her arm in mine.

"Don't be too threatened by the Queen," she muttered into my ear. "Auriel is mostly harmless."

"Mostly?" I said meekly. Bombalurina only chuckled in response.

Two toms followed the Queen. My eyes were immediately drawn to the taller of the two, a black tom with leopard print points and a large ruff.

"That can't be Tugger," Tantomile said, her voice filled with disbelief. Bomba stiffened beside me and I looked at her curiously. She merely shook her head, so I turned my attention to the tom walking next to him.

His silver fur appeared to gleam in the sun, broken up by jet-black stripes. Straight as an arrow, he wore his crown with pride. It seemed nearly impossible that this was the gangly kitten who'd visited my home all those years ago. He and his brother, walking next to each other, were different as night and day. The crown prince was meeting the gaze of nearly every sentinel he passed, nodding at them all with a stiff smile. Rum Tum Tugger, however, was looking past them, catching the eye of the younger noble dames and smiling like a kit on their birthday.

The king and queen stopped walking halfway down the path, standing side by side but feet apart. The king shared Rum Tum Tugger's easy expression, though managed to maintain much more formality than the maned tom. The quen, on the other hand, maintained her very severe expression, and her eyes, bright against her dark face, were trained sharply on me. I wanted to shrink down, or hide behind my ladies. Duty forced me to keep my head high.

Munkustrap and Tum Tum Tugger passed their parents, both pairs of eyes on me and my ladies. The Rum Tum Tugger held back, standing a few feet away with a casual air that didn't seem to match the crown on his head. Munkustrap did not stop until he was directly in front of me, and my heart thudded beneath my chest as he took my paw in his and pressed a perfectly chivalrous kiss to my knuckles.

"Lady Demeter." His tone was full of formality, but I clung to every word, desperately hoping to find some semblance of substance in them. Anything to reassure me that my time here could feel like something more than a business transaction.

"Your Highness." I dropped into a curtsy reflexively. "It has been too long."

"It has, yes." Was that amusement in his eyes? "I hope your journey was pleasant."

"Quite. Though much longer than I-" Whispers and titters from my ladies cut me off, and I turned my head to glance at them. Their attention was focused on something far to the side of the pathway, though the whispers stopped when they saw me watching them. I turned my attention back on Munkustrap to apologize, but he seemed to have been distracted by whatever had excited my ladies, and he was staring in that direction with a strongly set jaw and hardened eyes. Enraptured, I followed his gaze, and just barely stopped a gasp.

His coat was red. Not the warm, sunset red of Bombalurina or the wine-colored highlights in my own black and gold fur, but a proper, electric red. He carried himself with the relaxed air of the Rum Tum Tugger, but there was something so powerful in the set of his shoulders. And he was walking straight toward us.

"Father doesn't like us walking on the grass, Macavity."

 _Macavity_. It sounded like the whisper of wind through the trees, and I found myself stealing glances at this strange new arrival. He ignored Munkustrap's reproachful warning and looked at me. I felt even more exposed than before, and adopted a shield of a smile.

"Forgive me, I'm afraid I was not told you were arriving, or else I would have joined my father and brothers to greet you." His voice was smoother and sweeter than syrup, and heavy with things he seemed to be hiding. "I will not take up too much of your time. I'm sure the prince has sweet nothings he'd like to be whispering into your ear." He took both of my paws in his, and my skin tingled beneath his touch. He leaned forward, and for a brief, electric moment I was sure he meant to kiss me. Instead, he pressed a feather-light kiss to each of my cheeks. I refused to acknowledge the sinking feeling of disappointment in my gut. "I do hope you will enjoy your time at court."

He was gone before I could think to reply, passing by Munkustrap and the Rum Tum Tugger, then the King and Queen, and disappearing into the castle. I barely realized I was watching him go, until Munkustrap shifted and cleared his throat uncomfortably. My ears burned.

"You won't have to worry about him while you are here, my lady." His jaw was still clenched, but his eyes were much less severe. "He keeps to himself. I imagine he just wanted to rattle you, I apologize."

"It's alright, Your Highness." The sympathy in his eyes ignited something in me, and I straightened my shoulders and steadied my gaze. "I am not so easily frightened."

Something that could have been appreciation flashed in his eyes, and he nodded. "I'll take my leave, then. I imagine you would like to rest after such a long journey. My lady."

He started muttering furiously as soon as he reached the Rum Tum Tugger, and the two seemed to argue as they passed their parents and entered the castle. The King and Queen seemed to give me one last look before turning and leaving. My ladies swarmed around me, each whispering furiously, and with a sigh, I turned toward Tantomile in hopes of an explanation.

"Macavity is the King's oldest son," she said nervously.

"But Munkustrap is the heir. What do you mean?" I asked.

"He's a bastard." Bombalurina seemed less nervous to talk about it than the other two. "He was born only a few months after the King and Queen were married."

"Who is his mother?" Cassandra looked almost excited by the drama.

"Just some kitchen maid, probably. Whoever it was, I heard she died giving birth to him. So Deuteronomy took Macavity and raised him, and the crown prince was born a few months later."

"We shouldn't gossip." I shot them all a stern look, nervous about all the ears turned toward us. "Let's find our rooms. We could all use some rest."


	2. Chapter 2

"Did you see the distance between the King and Queen? They practically looked like strangers."

I shot Tantomile a sharp look as I dismissed the servants. Servants that worked for the King and Queen, and would surely whisper castle gossip into their ears. Was she a fool?

"I'm not surprised. I can't imagine there is much love in that marriage," Cassandra said, once the door was closed and we were alone. I unpacked my jewels methodically, only half-listening now. Bombalurina stood nearby, her eyes on the door. She seemed to share my worries. I recalled the stories she'd told me of her time in court, years ago. How quickly word could travel through such a large castle, and how little privacy the occupants were given.

"How could there be?" Tantomile almost laughed. "His bastard being raised alongside their sons, practically treated as a true born prince? That's not a slight any dame could suffer happily, much less a queen."

My ears pricked at the mention of Macavity. It was not unheard of for kings to recognize their bastards – most kings had quite a few, after all – but raising them at court was unusual. How had I never heard of him before? That was the sort of gossip that the whole kingdom would know. I looked toward Bomba, who was busying herself pouring a glass of wine. Surely she had known of him, and yet she'd said nothing to me.

"Well, it's not as if he could ever be a risk to Munkustrap's claim, could he?" A rush of gratitude washed over me at Cassandra's question, but I kept my attention trained on the jewels. The thought had been plaguing me during the walk to our rooms, but I hadn't wanted to give voice to my worries. They were usually baseless anyway.

"Not unless the King legitimizes him as a trueborn son and his heir, I think," Tantomile replied absently. "And I doubt he would. The kingdom would be in an uproar. Being ruled by a bastard, could you imagine?"

The two sleek queens laughed as the poured themselves wine, but my fur prickled.

"This is risky talk." I turned and gave them the strictest look I could muster, though they did not seem very intimidated. Bomba chuckled under her breath beside me. My ears burned, but I continued. "I mean it. This isn't Highreach, where we can talk freely in the privacy of our own rooms. We don't know who may have their ear pressed against the door."

"She's right. Dramatic, but right." Bomba sank into a chair next to Cassandra and Tantomile. "Keep your wits about you, girls. No reason to risk your neck over gossip, eh?"

A knock at the door stopped any replies.

"My lady? Your uncle wishes to speak with you."

"And aunt, you fool! You should have prefaced with that, she far prefers my company." Jennyanydots came bustling into the room first and hurried straight toward me with open arms. "Oh, my dear, so good to see you, and how was your journey? It's a long one, I know, but, oh, you look well."

I allowed myself to melt into her embrace. The familiar scent of cinnamon and vanilla was an instant comfort, and one that I hadn't smelled in far too long. "I'm glad to see you as well, Aunt Jenny."

"And me, I should hope." Skimbleshank's entrance was slower, delayed as he was by the old wound in his knee.

"Uncle," I sighed happily, stepping forward to hug him as well.

"Already met your betrothed, have you? I am sorry we weren't there with you, Lady Dem, we had... something to attend to."

Jenny huffed, her expression laced with poorly-hidden irritation. The guilt on Skimble's face was just as apparent.

"Our little Deme was too distracted by her shining prince to notice your absences," Bomba called from her seat, sipping at her glass of wine. "Not that you aren't just as dreamy, Uncle."

"Bombalurina, you are too bad," Jenny tittered. She seemed grateful for the distraction. "Shouldn't you know your courtesies better by now?"

"And deprive you of this precious entertainment? Wouldn't dream of it."

Another knock interrupted the conversation.

"Lord Skimbleshanks, she is on her way."

"Send her on in when she arrives, thank you." Skimble cleared his throat tensely. "Dem, I have an... addition to your retinue, if you'll allow it. She has lived here at court since she became of age. I thought she might give you a useful perspective."

"O-oh." My face reddened. Bombalurina was my sister, and Cassandra and Tantomile were born the same year as me. All three of them had grown up in my father's castle with me, and there were no others I trusted as explicitly as them. That is what was expected of ladies-in-waiting, after all. A new dame... How could I say no to my uncle, though, who had been so instrumental in the set-up of my betrothal? "Of course, Uncle. Thank you, I-I'm very excited to meet her."

There was a pause, then Jenny spoke. "Well, are you going to tell her, Skimble, or shall I?"

"Right." Skimble cleared his throat. "Well, my little lady, uh... her name is Rumpleteazer. She is only a few years younger than you. And she is my daughter. Er..." He glanced guiltily toward Jenny and cleared his throat again. "My baseborn daughter."

 _A bastard_. There had always been whispers in Highreach, but I'd never given them a second though. Bombalurina, Cassandra, and Tantomile seemed to share my surprise.

"And?" Jenny said.

" _And_..." Skimble's guilty tone was flecked with rehearsed patience. "Her brother will be joining her here at court soon. Her twin brother, Mungojerrie."

My ladies' whispers were impossible to miss, and I turned awkwardly to Bombalurina, silently begging her to break the silence. Thankfully, she heard my prayers.

"We'll make sure she feels at home, Uncle. Won't we?" Cassandra and Tantomile murmured their agreements, devoid of the usual snark. I often forgot their lower births when we were alone, but it showed quite clearly when members of my father's family were around.

"Fathuh?"

An orange head poked around the open door, mahogany eyes scanning the room before setting on Skimbleshanks.

"Yes, Rumpleteazer, please come in." Skimble stepped forward to usher her in. Jenny shifted uncomfortably, and I noticed that the new dame was steadfastly avoiding looking in her direction.

"It's a pleasure ter meet ya, me lady." Rumpleteazer sunk into a haphazard curtsy.

I smiled and curtsied in return. "Demeter, please. Formalities are a bit... awkward, especially if we are to be friends."

"What an interesting accent," Tantomile remarked smoothly. Cassandra hid a smirk in her cup. "Are you not from here?"

Rumpleteazer glanced nervously at Skimble, who was watching her out of the corner of his eye with a tense jaw. "Oi was born 'ere, me lady, but fostered in the norf throughout me child'ood. A bit 'ard ter understand, Oi kna, but at least ya can always pick me out in a crowd."

An amused chuckle escaped my lips, and Rumpleteazer beamed.

"We'll leave you ladies to settle in," Skimble said, seemingly pleased with the proceedings. "And Deme, the King would like to speak with you as soon as you are ready. He requests that you, er, speak with him in private. Alone."

My mouth dried. I knew I would formally meet the King eventually, but I did not think it would be so soon, and I did not think I would have to be alone. Jenny stepped toward me before I could think to reply.

"Oh, you have no reason to worry, little Deme." She smoothed my headfur. "I'm sure he only wants to welcome you without a prying crowd of nobles and all that."

"O-of course. Thank you, both of you, I'll go to him when I can."

Skimble and Jenny said their goodbyes and left. Rumpleteazer stood near the door still, an awkward smile on her face. Bombalurina moved back toward the luggage to continue unpacking.

"So, Teazer." Tantomile stood and strode toward the tabby, a languid smile on her face. "The north, you say? I had no idea they had such strange accents."

"Strange," Cassandra echoed, standing as well. The two prowled around Rumpleteazer with something close to hunger in their eyes. "That is one word for it, I suppose."

Tantomile smirked. "Undecipherable, really. I do hope you'll learn to speak properly, I can hardly understand a word of what you say."

Rumpleteazer stood straighter. With her chest puffed and her jaw set, she almost resembled her father, and Cassandra and Tantomile balked. "Oi guess Oi'll 'ave ter use smaller words 'round ya ladies, then, huh?"

The two sleek dames huffed and reddened, and Bombalurina's sharp laugh echoed behind me.

"Cassandra," I said, before another word could be spoken. "Tantomile. Would you two mind fetching a servant from the kitchens to bring up some food? We're all famished after the journey, I'm sure, and wine on such an empty stomach might be a bad idea."

The two curtsied, if a bit begrudgingly, and left. I could hear their giggles trailing down the hall. Rumpleteazer surely did as well, but it didn't show in her excited eyes as she turned to me.

"They're always a bit mischievous when they meet new dames. I'm sorry."

"Oi'm used ter it, Lady Dem. Don't worry about me. A bastard at court develops thick skin." Her shrug and smile were strangely apologetic, and instantly I felt the need to wrap my arms around her shoulders and banish Cassandra and Tantomile from my service. Instead, I turned away and poured myself a glass of wine. I needed courage if I was to speak with the king, the kind of courage that a few sips of alcohol could give.

"Would you like any wine, Rumpleteazer?"

"Just 'Teazuh' is foine. And, er, nah, thank ya. Oi don't loike the taste."

"Oh, you'll have trouble fitting in with us, then." Bombalurina's words seemed cruel, but her tone was playful and her smile was kind. "You need a good, strong drink to tolerate those two for very long."

I rubbed my neck and smiled awkwardly. As much as I may have agreed with her, it was not proper to complain so openly. Especially not in front of unfamiliar company. Teazer only laughed, though, and her posture relaxed significantly. I sat down on Bombalurina's vacated seat and eyed her over the lip of my glass. If she'd lived at court for so many years, she must know plenty about Munkustrap, and about Macavity. If she were truly the friend and sister that ladies-in-waiting were meant to be, I would have asked her without hesitation. But I hardly knew the dame, and I did not want to risk embarrassing myself. I took a long swig and looked away.

"Er, Oi'm not sure what yer expectin' of me, Lady Dem," Teazer said after a pause. "Oi've never been a lady-in-waitin' before, seein' as Oi'm no real lady. Fathuh explained a li'l. He said it's loike... sisters, Oi guess." She glanced guiltily toward Bomba.

"Sisters, yes, sometimes. If... if we are lucky to be close enough. But 'friends' is good enough for now."

"Alroight. Friends." I thought I saw a softer smile flit across Teazer's face, but whatever it was, it was quickly replaced by something much more impish. "Oi know Oi'm 'ere tuh teach you about court, though. Oi know you got questions. Oi can answer 'em."

I blushed, my ears drooping toward my head, but Bomba just chuckled.

"Is Munkustrap still the stick-in-the-mud he was years ago?" she asked, an eyebrow raised. "He doesn't seem to have changed much."

"I think he's changed," I said quietly. Though I hadn't seen him since he was barely older than a kit, all gangly limbs and a smile too wide for his face. Bomba had lived at court when he was a teen, though, and I had heard all about the solemn-faced silver tabby that stood next to his father day in and day out.

"Oh, 'e's still as borin' as ever. Oi guess Oi can't blame 'im, though, roight? Bein' Deut's heir is a tough job, an' bein' Tuggah's bruvva is a tougher one."

Bomba huffed and turned away. "Still nosy as always, I must assume."

"The Rum Tum Tuggah's a curious cat, Oi don't fink anyone would disagree with that." Teazer finally sat, perched on the edge of the chair across from me, her mahogany eyes not completely meeting either of our gazes.

"And the king's b- er, the king's oldest son?" I tried to keep my tone as casual as possible, but the blush was spreading across my face again, and I forced myself to keep my eyes on my lap. "The red one."

"Met 'im, 'ave you?" Teazer sounded almost annoyed, and I looked up to see her staring out the window with a strongly set jaw. "'E keeps ter 'imself most o' the time. Oi don't fink 'e's evuh said two words ter me."

I looked to Bomba again, silently asking a question I didn't think I could voice, but she avoided my gaze.

"My bruvva knows 'im bettuh. 'E's lived at court longuh than me, Oi guess they're kinda loike friends."

"I didn't think Macavity was the type to have friends," Bomba remarked. There was bitterness in her words, bitterness that I was sure Rumpleteazer wouldn't be able to notice. I set my cup down and stood to walk to the window, touching Bomba's hand lightly on my way. A silent comfort for whatever she wasn't saying.

"Well, that's why Oi said 'kinda', innit?" Teazer laughed. "Mungo finks the world of 'im, Oi tell you." Her voice lowered. "Bastards loike ta stick togevvuh."

I stared out the window, my back to the room and my companions. There were some cats milling about in the gardens below. Enjoying the crisp spring breeze and warm sun. Jealousy gnawed at the edges of my thoughts, but I pushed it away.

"Do others truly care that you are baseborn?" I asked quietly.

Teazer only shrugged noncommittally. "Ya kna these court nobles. They always 'ave a stick up their bum over summit. One minute it's me an' my bruvvah, the bloody next it's Lydy Sybelle's uneven 'emline."

A rush of warmth flooded my heart once more, tinged with something that might have been envy. I could not imagine having such a flippant attitude about others' opinions. I turned back to face Teazer and Bomba.

"What is the King like?"

Teazer shrugged again and looked toward Bomba, scratching her nose idly.

"Kingly, I suppose." Bomba chuckled at the disparaging look I gave her. "I'm sorry, Deme, I was never granted an audience with him. I only ever saw him when he was holding court."

"An' Oi wouldn't know, bastards would nevuh get to speak wiv the King."

 _Except Macavity_ , I wanted to say. Discomfort held my tongue. "Of course." I picked up my tiara and settled it primly between my ears. Bomba stood to fasten a necklace around my neck, and Teazer followed uncertainly.

"Oi'd be careful, though. You're supposed ter marry 'is firstborn, and 'eir ter the bloomin' throne. 'E'll be lookin' for any weakness, Oi'm sure."

Bomba nodded in agreement. "Not that you have anything to worry about. You're golden, Dem."

A soft smile flitted across my face. "Will the Queen be there, do you think?"

"The Queen is probably busy planning the wedding. I'm sure she'll send for you herself when she has time."

"But the wedding isn't for another year. How long could it take to plan?"

"Ya ain't met the Queen, so just trust me. It's gonna take 'er a year ter plan it, an' she's gonna make sure it's so big that the singers will sin' of it for 'undreds of years."

My face flushed at the thought, though I couldn't tell if it was anxiety or pleasure that made it so. I wondered if the Queen would let me help with anything – but the thought of spending time alone with the imposing dame turned me off of the idea well enough.

"Well," I said, my voice tight with apprehension. "I shouldn't keep him waiting, should I?"


End file.
